Were there signs?

[EarthSick]

Not sure if this the right area for this, I don't even see a thread on the issue (unless I missed it) so I'm not even sure if we're allowed to have one.

But I'm a little confused about the whole situation with Shim leaving the band. I unfortunately missed out on the chance to see them the last time they came around my area. The last time I saw them was back in November 2013 when Connect first came out. The band seemed in good spirits to me, they had great stage presence and great chemistry as they have every time I've seen them before. The whole band was together at the merch booth greeting fans as usual. I had the opportunity to meet them twice during one of the Tri-Polar tours, got my Polar Opposite CD signed by them and a t-shirt signed one of the times before and they were always awesome, humble and grateful.

So I'm a little baffled at Shim's departure, it just seems out of left field to me. Has anyone who's seen them recently see this coming? This sucks so bad.

[Becky]

I had not been to many shows this summer, but some people noticed some odd behaviors. I think Shim putting up a solo website, with Sick Puppies songs only crediting himself a couple of weeks ago was a bit of a sign.

[darthvader6]

I saw them in Madison WI, 12/2013, I was actually searching for possible 2015 tour dates when I came across the news and almost fell off my chair at work. I could not believe it. Especially after Shim and Emma created the band together.

Definitely saddened by the news.

[dulcecorazon98]

I remember being introduced to SP in early 2006 when my sister reccomended them to me. I was really looking forward to going to a SP show one day and even meeting the band I wanted to thank them in person for getting me through hard times with thier amazing music. But something always came up and I never did get to go to any of thier shows, even when they were in town! But I am really sad to hear about the news. It's just left me shocked.

[RafaelAlthaus]

Just look at this video and tell me what you see. There's no energy, it's Shim going around trying to move the crowd, Emma and Mark looking so tired, you can feel by watching the video that something wasn't right at the time. This was shot 2 months ago.

[vegawriters]

I think there were some small but telling ones. I'm a new fan - came into the SP world during the HCIHR tour - and have spent the last few months just being obsessive. But I noticed small things that most people would assume were nothing, like them not following each other on social media, small comments in interviews, stuff like that that just made me go hmmmm. Of course, a lot of people have pointed to energy and attitude in interviews and at shows.

I dunno. I'm not in shock anymore. But I tell you, it's got my writer brain wondering.

[Becky]

I'm sure Mark and Emma will have more to say about it when they can. (legally)

[vegawriters]

[David]

[Ali]

[schmiegol]

[Ali]

[rapscallion]

Were their signs? Yes. "Should Have Known Better".
Also, "Maybe", "Telling Lies", "So What I Lied", "Trick the Devil Did", "Pretender", and "Walking Away".

Working on a much longer post now that there are more facts out.

[rapscallion]

My take on what happened with Sick Puppies (based purely on public statements and speculation):

First, name 2 people with whom you would be willing to: live, work, and create art, every day for months at a time and years on end. Oh, and one of them has to be someone you met in high school. (And you don't get to sleep with either of them.) I cannot think of two people in my life that meet that criteria. Live with and work with? Sure, I could do that. But creation (of art, music, or anything else of value) requires emotion - passion even - and when business and passion meet, there is bound to be conflict. I think the stress fractured the friendship, and Emma and Shim, best friends at 16, had been growing apart.

The initial statement from Emma and Mark was very respectful, but vague, simply stating that Shimon was "no longer with the band" with no explanation. Shim claimed that the public statement was the first he'd heard of it, which, if true, would be pretty cold-hearted of Emma and Mark. The most recent statement clarifies that in fact, Shim (through his lawyer) wanted to dissolve the band. If this is true, it would hardly be a shock to Shim to hear that he wasn't in the band, though perhaps a shock to hear that Sick Puppies was still a band.

In contemplating why SP had worked so well and touched so many people, perhaps it is constructive to think about each band member in terms of being a musician working on their art/craft of writing and performing music. Emma, Mark, and Shim each have their own set of musical tastes and leanings, which made Dressed Up As Life and Tripolar such interesting albums. This genre blend that I affectionately call "emo-pop-punk" is what caught me and made me fall in love with their music. Unfortunately, Connect didn't quite have the same effect. The precarious but perfect balance of the previous albums was ... off.

Which brings me to why Shim might have wanted to dissolve SP. Maybe Shim felt they had gone as far as their collaboration could take them all together. Emma and Mark have obviously decided that their continued collaboration would be productive, so they will continue on as Sick Puppies. The fact that this couldn't be worked out behind the scenes and presented as "Shim is departing Sick Puppies and we wish him well in his future endeavors" and a similar "I wish Emma and Mark all the best as we part ways" speaks to how tense the situation had become. Instead we as fans were treated to maximum drama, thus maximum pain.

Shim's solo project (that he wanted badly enough to want to close the chapter on SP) will be something different than where Sick Puppies were headed. And his departure has in turn altered SP's previous course (for better or worse for each of them is yet to be seen). Shim has every right to pursue a different course for his music, but he does not have any right to ask Emma and Mark to disband as well. Truly though, as hard as this has been, it might end up being better for all parties.

This is a really difficult break up for SPWC, but if we cannot believe my argument for artists growing in different directions, better for each, can we at least be content to imagine all the new material this could generate?

***Again, all of this is based on speculation. I don't have any inside information, and I could be assigning thoughts and feelings that are completely off from what happened in the real world. But this is the story I am telling myself so that I can continue to support Sick Puppies and support Shim's project as well.***

[Snowmonkies]

I kind of agree on the bit about Connect- not to say I didn't like it or thought it was bad, but... not sure, I just had a feeling of "well... what happens after this album?" Something about it felt like it was gonna be a last hurrah, I just thought that maybe the next albums would start to be... erm less-good. Never thought this would happen.
I think they may have just pushed themselves too far. Non-stop touring and being stuck on a bus with the same two people for months on end (on top of the stresses of travel in general) is gonna make anyone nuts. So in this area, maybe Shim had it right that they needed to give each other some space. But there were other, arguably less messy ways for them to get that space.

[RafaelAlthaus]

I had the same feeling. Connect was a very average album, at least comparade to what WTTRW, DUAL and Tri-Polar was, and after the album was released, the band felt that they haven't done it right, that they took a step back, and after a month or two from the release date of Connect, things started getting weird.

So I couldn't agree more when you say that Shim felt that it was the further they could get right now, and to go further, they should work with other people.

After 16 years and 5 albums, Sick Puppies didn't really took off like it should, sure it made a lot of sucess, but it haven't gone really further when comparade to other bands that started performing with them, like Breaking Benjamin, Evanescence, Limp Bizkit and a few others. It became a really underrated band.

The break up was for the best. They didn't had too much future together, and sooner or later it would happen. Better now that they are young and able to work in other projects and achieve great sucess, that when they're old and realize most of it was a waste of time.

I work with creative content as a computer scientist, and there's a lot of tension and stress with creating a product close to the perfection and to have the best experience for the user. A lot of people and a lot of money envolved. I guess it isn't different with the music industry. Just wish them the best.

PS: WTTRW is the best album in my opinion.